


"Oh."

by Thali_Quinn



Series: Three In the Morning [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Hope you enjoy, I seriously need to like, It's fluffy AF, M/M, Multi, Post Cursed Child, angst but like barely but also not really it's pretty angsty, but not, it's three in the morning, not make a habit of this, oh well, poor Scorpius give this boy a hug, spoiler-ish alert?, this is gay, whooops I did it again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 23:43:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11565840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thali_Quinn/pseuds/Thali_Quinn
Summary: Scorpius is having an existential crisis at three in the morning. Albus is there to figure out why and maybe help if his best mate will let him.





	"Oh."

“Oh no,” he muttered, pacing the Slytherin commons in tight, anxious circles. “Oh no oh no oh no oh no...” he'd thought after the mess with the time turner he was done with being scared, done with feeling anxious about anything, but apparently he'd been wrong, because Scorpius Malfoy had just come to a realization that terrified him more than anything else had in his entire life. That was saying a lot.

“What are you freaking out about?” Albus murmured from the stairs, rubbing his eyes furiously. He was clearly still half-asleep, and wearing a rather large sweater his Gramma Molly had made him. And of _course_ he was tired, because it was three in the morning and why the hell was he awake anyways? Scorpius choked on air.

“N-nothing!” he winced as the work came out strangled and oddly high-pitched. He'd never been much good at lying, especially not to his friend. He released a heavy sigh. “I'm just having a bit of a, uhm. A bit of an existential crisis is all.” Albus peered at him through bleary eyes, apparently having given up on trying to rub the sleep out of them, and instead swished his wand and muttered “Accio coffee” under his breath. Accio had become his favorite spell after he discovered how useful for him it was, and the fact that it didn't take him twenty odd times to figure it out certainly helped.

A full pot of coffee, still steaming, flew into his hands. Apparently the wall had enough of a mind to avoid its own demise and had gone semi-permeable so as to allow the pot to come through; as it had not disappeared and was certainly not damaged. Quickly summoning some mugs, cream, and sugar, Albus descended the stairs, wary of tripping as his hands were quite full. He sat down on the couch, setting the coffee, mugs, cream and sugar down on the coffeetable. In one swift move the boy tugged Scorpius down beside him. He sat down _hard_ , realeasing a slight “oomph” of a noise as he did.

“So?” Albus pressed, fixing a cup of coffee. Scorpius took a moment to ponder why his best friend had fixed coffee instead of tea before answering. Then he took a moment to ponder how and from where their coffee and supplies were taken from. Then he took one last moment to ponder exactly what he was going to say. It was at this point that Albus handed him a cup of coffee, which he sipped gratefully. It was perfect, and he let out a noise of contentment.

Another beat of silence passed before he finally brought himself to speak. His hands trembled, shaking his mug and spilling coffee over his pajamas. He couldn't bring himself to care.

“I-I have a crush on someone,” he breathed. Albus rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I know, Ro-” He was cut off.

“--No, _not_ Rose,” the blonde said in an agitated manner, gripping the ceramic so hard his knuckles turned white. “ _Not_ Rose,” he repeated, sounding slightly pathetic. “That'd be easier.” Scorpius heaved a great sigh. “I mean, unless his name was suddenly Rose in which case, yes Rose but... Yeah.” Realization dawned on him and Albus's eyes widened.

“Oh.” Scorpius scoffed, looking quick miserable.

“Yeah. _Oh._ ” He sipped his coffee, draining an inch off the top before speaking again. The Malfoy sounded somewhat resigned, as though he'd accepted that he'd been dealt yet another bad hand.

“You know the funniest bit is that it makes sense. I mean he-he's brilliant really. Funny and kind of bitter but... it works for him? It's kind of...” The tips of his ears turned red and his voice dropped to a whisper. “his cynicism is kind of sexy. And I... when I look him in the eye? I see my entire world. I saw him around someone else not that long ago and I...he seemed happy enough and I felt conflicted and I mean, what kind of person feels conflicted about seeing someone happy right? But I did and I...” he trailed off, unable to complete his sentence and looking for all the world as if he wished nothing more than to disappear into the couch cushions.

“Who is he then?” Albus asked, voice sounding... odd. Stiff. Scorpius risked a glance at his best friend to see the most peculiar of looks on his face.

“Uh-uhm. I uhm. Can't... tell you? I mean it's not like you would... Uhm. I just... you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore.” he stuttered, the color of a ripe tomato and heart pounding furiously in his chest. He'd been in a lot of bad situations in his life. He'd seen a few things. He'd quite seriously been present for the end of the world. Yet here he was, scared to death over admitting a silly _crush_.

Except it wasn't just a crush. It was Albus. _Albus Severus Potter_ , who couldn't fly very well and was rubbish at most spells and had lost every pair of matching socks he owned and therefor kept asking him to transfigure one into the other. Albus, who woke up when he wasn't in the room and made him coffee at three in the morning. Albus, whom he couldn't bear to lose. Albus who meant more to him than anything else, and he was fucking terrified, because he knew what he was feeling sounded an awful lot closer to love than a crush.

“What do you mean _you can't tell me_?” Uh Oh. Albus looked... furious.

“I-I mean you wouldn't... I mean you--” Scorpius floundered, but he wasn't allowed to finish.

“--I _what?_ After everything we've been through together, you don't trust me enough to tell me who you like? Are you _kidding me_? Just _tell_ me!”

“I'm telling you I _can't_!”

“What do you mean you _can't_ of _course_ you can you're just being a sod and refusing! So who the hell is it Scorpius?!”

“Why do you even care?!”

“Why won't you just _tell_ me?!”

“You won't want to be my friend anymore!”

“BLOODY _TRY_ ME!” Albus shouted, very upset. Scorpius looked desperate.

“FINE! YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW?!” he yelled, eyes tearing up slightly. This was not what he'd wanted to happen.

“ _OBVIOUSLY_!” the Potter returned, waving his arms. Scorpius all but slammed his coffee down and grabbed his best friend's face in both hands, looking deeply into his eyes.

“You're a bloody idiot, Albus.” the other boy opened his mouth as if to retort but was cut off. “No, shut up. You asked, you're getting your answer. Now where was I? Ah yes. You're seriously a knuckle-dragging troglodyte sometimes. Even if I've only just admitted it to myself an hour or so ago, you should have figured it out _long_ ago. I mean, it was so obvious? I mean let's stop to think.

“I don't think you really know what I gave up for you. I had the _perfect_ life—well in a manner of speaking of course. There were death eaters and stuff but so what?! I was incredibly popular. A pretty girl liked me. Everyone respected me. I was a good student—I got good marks and was a damned good seeker. I could've had _anything_ in that world, Albus, and I didn't want any of it. I wanted _you.”_ Albus made a move to speak once more, but was quickly hushed. Scorpius was shaking in earnest now, but determined. He held Albus's eyes the whole time, not looking away or allowing the other to.

“That's right; and when there was a dementor literally trying to suck my soul out of my body? The thought that saved me was _you_. Albus sodding Potter. So I sacrificed everything because I couldn't imagine a world without you. And you know what? I don't regret any of it, and I don't know if it's because I saved a brighter future or because I'm hopelessly in love with you but hey, I just gave up any chance I truly had at being accepted by anyone else! No big deal, right?!” He released Albus and finally broke eye contact. Having run out of steam, he felt once again quite anxious, and retreat was imminent.

He risked a glance to find his best friend shell-shocked and an odd pink color. Something in him broke, then, because at that moment he was certain he'd lost his best friend.

“Goodnight, then,” he said, chest aching, as he began to stand. He'd known he shouldn't have said anything. He was halted by a hand gripping his. A feeling like a jolt of electricity shot through him, and he froze.

“Wait,” Albus said quietly, clutching the soft material of his best friend's sweater-clad hand. Scorpius had always preferred over large jumpers, and often wore them to bed with nothing but a tank top and boxers. Now was one of those times. He tugged at the boy until he sat back down, looking ready to bolt any minute.

“I, uhm. What do I even say to that?” he muttered, cherry red. Scorpius flopped rather pathetically against the back of the couch, looking anywhere but his friend.

“You don't have to say anything I mean you can just forget I said anything right? I knew I shouldn't have said anything and I--” Scorpius trailed off, sounding desperate. “Listen I... I'm sorry I bothered you with this and I—I--” he choked on his words and his vision swam with tears. Mortified, he wiped at them furiously. Albus melted a bit.

“Oh Scorpius,” he said softly as his best friend began to cry in earnest. Scorpius didn't cry. Scorpius smiled. Scorpius laughed. Scorpius brushed off every dirty look, every sly comment—he never let it get to him. And yet here he was, falling apart. The brunette pulled Scorpius to him, clutching him in a fierce embrace. He held on tightly, planting a firm kiss on the boy's forehead.

“You don't need to tell me to forget,” he murmured into his hair, truly unable to speak louder because every time he inhaled he smelled over-priced lavender shampoo and a scent that was so uniquely _Scorpius_ he was left almost speechless. “You never have to be afraid to tell me anything, and where the hell did you think you were running off to? We literally sleep in the same room. And _I'm_ the idiot. You're the one who's mental, thinking there's something in this world that could make me not want to be near you.” He paused. Scorpius had just told him that he was in love with him. He was shocked, yes, but also... relieved.

He had been a terrible friend. He remembered how he'd ignored Scorpius when he'd fancied Delphi. When the other boy had mentioned a crush on someone, panic had flooded him at the thought that he might be forced to live what he'd put his best friend through. More than that, though, was the fear that Scorpius would leave him completely. That this “mystery boy” would steal him away. Rose at least was safe—they would never end up together, because Rose was madly in love with a Hufflepuff in her Herbology class and she'd stated a million and one times she is “not interested in anyone with more than one head.” Scorpius would never leave him for Rose, because Rose wasn't interested in him at all. But some random guy he'd never met?

And then he'd snapped at the blonde and wheedled it out of him and yeah, he'd been surprised—he wasn't exactly known for his observational skills—but not at all in a bad way. Because what Scorpius had said made sense; Albus couldn't imagine a world without him, and the more he thought about it, the more he came to terms with the fact that his best mate's lips looked _really_ soft and yeah, he had a pretty nice arse.

“Scorpius,” he said after a pause. The other boy lifted his head, and Albus met his eyes. “ _Look at me_.” So he did, and Albus almost died then and there because _Wow, were his eyes always that beautiful?_ Probably. He released his death grip on Scorpius and instead held his face gently, still making eye contact.

“I don't _want_ you to take it back.” And with that he connected their lips, kissing him passionately. It was really sloppy—they hadn't a clue what they were doing—but what the boys lacked in skill they made up for in enthusiasm. Eventually, they broke apart for air, both panting and a significantly darker red than before.

“Oh,” Scorpius muttered, blushing like mad.

“Yeah,” Albus said with a smile, “ _oh,_ ” and he meshed their lips together once more.

 

**Author's Note:**

> And then afterwards---  
> Albus: "You think my cynicism is sexy?"
> 
> #  COMMENT


End file.
